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Favorite Monthly Lists & Picks for 2014

Special Feature

Favorite Monthly Lists & Picks for 2014

DECEMBER 2014

Indie Next
US by David Nicholls
THE BOSTON GIRL by Anita Diamant
THE GIGANTIC BEARD THAT WAS EVIL by Stephen Collins
ENTER PALE DEATH: A Joe Sandilands Investigation by Barbara Cleverly
THE HAPPIEST PEOPLE IN THE WORLD by Brock Clarke
THE WILD TRUTH by Carine McCandless
MORIARTY by Anthony Horowitz
ALPHABET by Kathy Page
THE MIDNIGHT PLAN OF THE REPO MAN by W. Bruce Cameron
SMALL VICTORIES: Spotting Improbable Moments of Grace by Anne Lamott
IRENE: The Commandant Camille Verhoeven Trilogy by Pierre Lemaitre (trans. by Frank Wynne)
THE PARIS WINTER by Imogen Robertson
THE FINAL SILENCE by Stuart Neville
THE HEART HAS ITS REASONS by Maria Duenas
WAIT FOR SIGNS: Twelve Longmire Stories by Craig Johnson
THE HEART DOES NOT GROW BACK by Frank Venturini
PENELOPE FITZGERALD by Hermione Lee
TEXTS FROM JANE EYRE: And Other Conversations With Your Favorite Literary Characters by Mallory Ortberg
FAR AS THE EYE CAN SEE by Robert Bausch
33 ARTISTS IN 3 ACTS by Sarah Thornton

LibraryReads
[Favorites of 2014]
THE STORIED LIFE OF A.J. FiKRY by Gabrielle Zevin
THE ROSIE PROJECT by Graeme Simsion
ALL THE LIGHT WE CANNOT SEE by Anthony Doerr
FANGIRL by Rainbow Rowell
THE GOLDFINCH by Donna Tartt
WE WERE LIARS by E. Lockhart
STATION ELEVEN by Emily St. John Mandel 
ONE PLUS ONE by Jojo Moyes
LANDLINE by Rainbow Rowell
LONGBOURN by Jo Baker

Target Book Club
THE STORIED LIFE OF A.J. FIKRY by Gabrielle Zevin

Pennie's Pick (Costco)
THE IMPOSSIBLE LIVES OF GRETA WELLS by Andrew Sean Greer
 


 

NOVEMBER 2014

Indie Next
NOT MY FATHER’S SON: A Memoir by Alan Cumming
THE BOOK OF STRANGE NEW THINGS by Michel Faber
CROOKED RIVER by Valerie Geary
FALLING FROM HORSES by Molly Gloss
SOMETIMES THE WOLF by Urban Waite
THE REMEDY FOR LOVE by Bill Roorbach
ALL MY PUNY SORROWS by Miriam Toews
THE BIRDS OF PANDEMONIUM: Life Among the Exotic and the Endangered by Michele Raffin
LOITERING: New and Collected Essays by Charles D’Ambrosio
FIRST IMPRESSIONS: A Novel of Old Books, Unexpected Love, and Jane Austen by Charlie Lovett
CITIZENS CREEK by Lalita Tademy
THE LAUGHING MONSTERS by Denis Johnson
JERRY LEE LEWIS: His Own Story by Rick Bragg
BLUE HORSES: Poems by Mary Oliver
BY THE BOOK: Writers on Literature and the Literary Life From The New York Times Book Review, edited by Pamela Paul
THE FORGERS by Bradford Morrow
ALL DAYS ARE NIGHT by Peter Stamm, translated by Michael Hofmann
JUST MERCY: A Story of Justice and Redemption by Bryan Stevenson
BEING MORTAL: Medicine and What Matters in the End by Atul Gawande
FIRE SHUT UP IN MY BONES: A Memoir by Charles M. Blow

LibraryReads
US by David Nicholls
NEVER JUDGE A LADY BY HER COVER: The Fourth Rule of Scoundrels by Sarah McLean
LIVES IN RUINS: Archaeologists and the Seductive Lure of Human Rubble by Marilyn Johnson
THE BURNING ROOM by Michael Connelly
MORTAL HEART: His Fair Assassin Trilogy #3 by Robin LaFevers
THE SHIP OF BRIDES by Jojo Moyes
THE FORGERS by Bradford Morrow
IN THE COMPANY OF SHERLOCK HOLMES: Stories Inspired by the Holmes Canon, edited by Leslie S. Klinger and Laurie R. King
JANE AND THE TWELVE DAYS OF CHRISTMAS by Stephanie Barron
MERMAIDS IN PARADISE by Lydia Millet

Target Book Club
HOW TO BE A GOOD WIFE by Emma Chapman

Pennie's Pick (Costco)
VICTORIA: A Life by AN Wilson

 


 

OCTOBER 2014

Indie Next
LEAVING TIME by Jodi Picoult
LOVE ME BACK by Merritt Tierce
THE PAYING GUESTS by Sarah Waters
NORA WEBSTER by Colm Toibin
ON IMMUNITY: An Inoculation by Eula Biss
GOOD GRIEF: Life in a Tiny Vermont Village by Ellen Stimson
A SUDDEN LIGHT by Garth Stein
SOME LUCK by Jane Smiley
THE FALL: A Father's Memoir in 424 Steps by Diogo Mainardi
LILA by Marilynne Robinson
MAN V. NATURE: Stories by Diane Cook
THROWN by Kerry Howley
HOW TO BUILD A GIRL by Caitlin Moran
THE HIGH DIVIDE by Lin Enger
THE SHORT AND TRAGIC LIFE OF ROBERT PEACE: A Brilliant Young Man Who Left Newark for the Ivy League by Jeff Hobbs
NIGHT BLINDNESS by Susan Strecker
GUTENBERG'S APPRENTICE by Alix Christie
WOLF IN WHITE VAN by John Darnielle
A DEADLY WANDERING: A Tale of Tragedy and Redemption in the Age of Attention by Matt Richtel
FLORENCE GORDON by Brian Morton

LibraryReads
A SUDDEN LIGHT by Garth Stein
LEAVING TIME by Jodi Picoult
AS YOU WISH: Inconceivable Tales from the Making of The Princes Bride by Cary Elwes
NOT MY FATHER'S SON: A Memoir by Alan Cumming
SOME LUCK by Jane Smiley
THE BOY WHO DREW MONSTERS by Keith Donohue
THE LIFE WE BURY by Allen Eskens
REUNION by Hannah Pittard
MALICE by Keigo Higashino
MURDER AT THE BRIGHTWELL by Ashley Weaver

Target Book Club
NECESSARY LIES by Diane Chamberlain

Pennie's Pick (Costco)
CONQUISTADORA by Esmeralda Santiago

 


 

SEPTEMBER 2014

Indie Next
THE BONE CLOCKS by David Mitchell
STATION ELEVEN by Emily St. John Mandel
NEVERHOME by Laird Hunt
WE ARE NOT OURSELVES by Matthew Thomas
THE MINIATURIST by Jessie Burton
ACCIDENTS OF MARRIAGE by Randy Susan Meyers
DEAR COMMITTEE MEMBERS by Julie Schumacher
ONE KICK: A Kick Lannigan Novel by Chelsea Cain
SMOKE GETS IN YOUR EYES: And Other Notes From the Crematory by Caitlin Doughty
THE STORY OF LAND AND SEA by Katy Simpson Smith
FIVES AND TWENTY-FIVES by Michael Pitre
THE THING ABOUT DECEMBER by Donal Ryan
THE INVENTION OF EXILE by Vanessa Manko
HOLD THE DARK by William Giraldi
ISLAND OF A THOUSAND MIRRORS by Nayomi Munaweera
DIARY OF THE FALL by Michel Laub
THE LONG WAY HOME: A Chief Inspector Gamache Novel by Louise Penny
THE SECRET PLACE by Tana French
ACCEPTANCE by Jeff VanderMeer
NOT FADE AWAY: A Memoir of Senses Lost and Found by Rebecca Alexander with Sascha Alper

LibraryReads
SMOKE GETS IN YOUR EYES: And Other Lessons from the Crematory by Caitlin Doughty
STATION ELEVEN by Emily St. John Mandel
THE SECRET PLACE by Tana French
ROOMS by Lauren Oliver
THE CHILDREN ACT by Ian McEwan
THE DISTANCE by Helen Giltrow
HORRORSTOR by Grady Hendrix
THE PAYING GUESTS by Sarah Waters
THE WITCH WITH NO NAME by Kim Harrison
SEASON OF STORMS by Susanna Kearsley

Target Book Club
SEA CREATURES by Susanna Daniel

Pennie's Pick (Costco)
THE MONOGRAM MURDERS by Agatha Christie

 


 

AUGUST 2014

Indie Next
PAINTED HORSES by Malcolm Brooks
LUCKY US by Amy Bloom
SMALL BLESSINGS by Martha Woodroof
A MAN CALLED OVE by Fredrik Backman
IN THE KINGDOM OF ICE: The Grand and Terrible Polar Voyage of the USS Jeanette by Hampton Sides
THE HOME PLACE by Carrie La Seur
LIFE DRAWING by Robin Black
A COLDER WAR by Charles Cumming
THE MOCKINGBIRD NEXT DOOR: Life With Harper Lee by Marja Mills
THE MAGICIAN'S LAND by Lev Grossman
FURTHER OUT THAN YOU THOUGHT by Michaela Carter
TIGERMAN by Nick Harkaway
THIS IS THE WATER by Yannick Murphy
THE BOOK OF LIFE by Devorah Harkness
BAD FEMINIST by Roxane Gay
HERBIE'S GAME: A Junior Bender Mystery by Timothy Hallinan
THE MOUNTAINTOP SCHOOL FOR DOGS AND OTHER SECOND CHANCES by Ellen Cooney
THE GOOD GIRL by Mary Kubica
WORLD OF TROUBLE: The Last Policeman, Book III by Ben H. Winters
THE LOST CLERIHEWS OF PAUL INGRAM by Paul Ingram, Julia Anderson-Miller (Illus.)

LibraryReads
ONE KICK: A Kick Lannigan Novel by Chelsea Cain
LUCKY US by Amy Bloom
HEROES ARE MY WEAKNESS by Susan Elizabeth Phillips
LOCK IN by John Scalzi
THE MINIATURIST by Jessie Burton
BIG LITTLE LIES by Liane Moriarty
THE TRUTH ABOUT LEO by Katie MacAlister
AN UNWILLING ACCOMPLICE by Charles Todd
THE MAGICIAN'S LAND by Lev Grossman
THE STORY HOUR by Thrity Umrigar

Target Book Club
SOMEONE ELSE'S LOVE STORY by Joshilyn Jackson

Pennie's Pick (Costco)
THE ILLUSION OF SEPARATENESS by Simon Van Booy

 


 

JULY 2014

Indie Next
THE QUEEN OF THE TEARLING by Erika Johansen
LANDLINE by Rainbow Rowell
ONE PLUS ONE by Jojo Moyes
THAT NIGHT by Chevy Stevens
LAST NIGHT AT THE BLUE ANGEL by Rebecca Rotert
THE QUICK by Lauren Owen
FLYING SHOES by Lisa Howorth
THE APPETITES OF GIRLS by Pamela Moses
CLOSE YOUR EYES, HOLD HANDS by Chris Bohjalian
THE GLASS KITCHEN by Linda Francis Lee
DRY BONES IN THE VALLEY by Tom Bouman
DOLLBABY by Laura Lane McNeal
THE CARE AND MANAGEMENT OF LIES: A Novel of the Great War by Jacqueline Winspear
THE STRING DIARIES by Stephen Lloyd Jones
HOW TO TELL TOLEDO FROM THE NIGHT SKY by Lydia Netzer
EM AND THE BIG HOOM by Jerry Pinto
THE GIRLS FROM CORONA DEL MAR by Rufi Thorpe
WAR OF THE WHALES: The True Story by Joshua Horwitz
UNRULY PLACES: Lost Spaces, Secret Cities, and Other Inscrutable Geographies by Alastair Bonnettt
THE SECRET DIARY OF LIZZIE BENNET by Bernie Su and Kate Rorick

LibraryReads
LANDLINE by Rainbow Rowell
ONE PLUS ONE by Jojo Moyes
THE BLACK HOUR by Lori Rader-Day
THE QUEEN OF THE TEARLING by Erika Johansen
CLOSE YOUR EYES, HOLD HANDS by Chris Bohjalian
WORLD OF TROUBLE: The Last Policeman Book III by Ben H. Winters
CALIFORNIA by Edan Lepucki
DOLLBABY by Laura Lane McNeal
THE MOCKINGBIRD NEXT DOOR: Life with Harper Lee by Marja Mills
DRY BONES IN THE VALLEY by Tom Bouman

Target Book Club
MOTHER, MOTHER by Karen Zailckas

Pennie's Pick (Costco)
THE GIVER by Lois Lowry

 


 

JUNE 2014

Indie Next
WE ARE ALL CALLED TO RISE by Laura McBride
BIRD BOX by Josh Malerman
GOODNIGHT JUNE by Sarah Jio
FOURTH OF JULY CREEK by Smith Henderson
THE GIRL WITH ALL THE GIFTS by M.R. Carey
I AM PILGRIM by Terry Hayes
THE UNTOLD by Courtney Collins
EUPHORIA by Lily King
THE TRUTH ABOUT THE HARRY QUEBERT AFFAIR by Joel Dicker
MY SALINGER YEAR by Joanna Rakoff
NEXT LIFE MIGHT BE KINDER by Howard Norman
TAKE THIS MAN: A Memoir by Brando Skyhorse
JACK OF SPIES by David Downing
I AM HAVING SO MUCH FUN HERE WITHOUT YOU by Courtney Maum
THE VACATIONERS by Emma Straub
THE TRANSCRIPTIONIST by Amy Rowland
THE RISE & FALL OF GREAT POWERS by Tom Rachman
THE LATE STARTERS ORCHESTRA by Ari L. Goldman
SUMMER HOUSE WITH A SWIMMING POOL by Herman Koch
THE ICE CREAM QUEEN OF ORCHARD STREET by Susan Jane Gilman

LibraryReads
ELIZABETH IS MISSING by Emma Healey
CHINA DOLLS by Lisa See
THE ICE CREAM QUEEN OF ORCHARD STREET by Susan Jane Gilman
I AM HAVING SO MUCH FUN HERE WITHOUT YOU by Courtney Maum
THE MATCHMAKER by Elin Hilderbrand
SUMMER HOUSE WITH A SWIMMING POOL by Herman Koch
THE LOBSTER KINGS by Alexi Zentner
THE HURRICAN SISTERS by Dorothea Benton Frank
THE QUICK by Lauren Owen
ROGUES by George R.R. Martin and Gardner Dozois

Target Book Club
THE ROSIE PROJECT by Graeme Simsion

Pennie's Pick (Costco)
THE BOYS IN THE BOAT: Nine Americans and Their Epic Quest for Gold at the 1936 Berlin Olympics by Daniel James Brown

 


 

MAY 2014

Indie Next
ALL THE LIGHT WE CANNOT SEE by Anthony Doerr
NATCHEZ BURNING by Greg Iles
THE STEADY RUNNING OF THE HOUR by Justin Go
THE ORENDA by Joseph Boyden
THE SERPENT OF VENICE by Christopher Moore
RUBY by Cynthia Bond
TROIKA by Adam Pelzman
WONDERLAND by Stacey D'Erasmo
ALL THE BIRDS, SINGING by Evie Wyld
LOVERS AT THE CHAMELEON CLUB, PARIS 1932 by Francine Prose
RUIN FALLS by Jenny Milchman
THE SEA INSIDE by Philip Hoare
BETWEEN WRECKS by George Singleton
THE BEES by Laline Paull
POINT OF DIRECTION by Rachel Weaver
MY ACCIDENTAL JIHAD: A Love Story by Krista Bremer
THE COLD SONG by Linn Ullmann
THE GARDEN OF BURNING SAND by Corban Addison
CAN'T WE TALK ABOUT SOMETHING MORE PLEASANT? by Roz Chast
THE OTHER STORY by Tatiana De Rosnay

LibraryReads
WE WERE LIARS by E. Lockhart
ALL THE LIGHT WE CANNOT SEE by Anthony Doerr
THE BEES by Laline Paull
DELICIOUS! by Ruth Reichl
THE FORGOTTEN SEAMSTRESS by Liz Trenow
BIRD BOX by Josh Malerman
BITTERSWEET by Miranda Beverly-Whittemore
DELANCEY: A Man, a Woman, a Restaurant, a Marriage by Molly Wizenberg
SIXTH GRAVE ON THE EDGE by Darynda Jones
THE BLESSINGS by Elise Juska

Target Book Club
FLAT WATER TUESDAY by Ron Irwin

Pennie's Pick (Costco)
DELICIOUS! by Ruth Reichl

 


 

APRIL 2014

Indie Next
THE STORIED LIFE OF A.J. FIKRY by Gabrielle Zevin
FROG MUSIC by Emma Donoghue
THE EMPATHY EXAMS: Essays by Leslie Jamison
THE COLLECTOR OF DYING BREATHS: A Novel of Suspense by M.J. Rose
THE PLOVER by Brian Doyle
THE INTERN'S HANDBOOK by Shane Kuhn
AND THE DARK AND SACRED NIGHT by Julia Glass
LEARNING TO WALK IN THE DARK by Barbara Brown Taylore
INAPPROPRIATE BEHAVIORS: Stories by Murray Farish
IN PARADISE by Peter Matthiessen
ASTONISH ME by Maggie Shipstead
MIMI MALLOY, AT LAST! by Julia MacDonnell
MURDER AT  CAPE THREE POINTS by Kwei Quartey
THE CAIRO AFFAIR by Olen Steinhauer
MY WISH LIST by Gregoire Delacourt
ROOSEVELT'S BEAST by Louis Bayard
STRANGE HARVEST: A Tale of Cannibals, Colonialism, and Michael Rockefeller's Tragic Quest for Primitive Art by Carl Hoffman
THE BOHEMIANS: Mark Twain and the San Francisco Writers Who Reinvented American Literature by Ben Tarnoff
MIND OF WINTER by Laura Kasischke
THE BOOK OF DUELS: Flash Fiction by Michael Garriga, Tynan Kerr (Illus.)

LibraryReads
THE STORIED LIFE OF A. J. FIKRY by Gabrielle Zevin
FROG MUSIC by Emma Donoghue
AND THE DARK SACRED NIGHT by Julia Glass
SILENCE FOR THE DEAD by Simone St. James
BY ITS COVER: A Commissario Guido Brunetti Mystery by Donna Leon
THE INTERN'S HANDBOOK by Shane Kuhn
LOVE, NINA: A Nanny Writes Home by Nina Stibbe
THE AXE FACTOR: A Jimm Juree Mystery by Colin Cotterill
FAMILY LIFE by Akhil Sharma
ON THE ROCKS by Erin Duffy

Target Book Club
MRS. POE by Lynn Cullen

Pennie's Pick (Costco)
A TALE FOR THE TIME BEING by Ruth Ozeki